Against the Current - Chapter 260

Chapter 260 - Propriety

One day, a small sedan chair was carried in through the side gate of the Lin residence in the capital. As soon as the chair came to a halt, seven or eight matrons swarmed around it. The chair curtains were lifted to reveal a woman in her thirties of refined and striking beauty, with her glossy hair coiled into a neat bun. Though her attire was plain and unadorned, it possessed an air of unmistakable nobility. Following closely beside her was a young maid with double-Buns wearing a pale green outfit and carrying two bundled wraps, looking rather reserved and composed.

The group led the two of them into the Changchun Hall, where Huashan was standing by the entrance. She hurriedly lifted the curtain and called out, "Mistress, Nanny Xia has arrived." As Nanny Xia stepped inside, she found the main hall exceptionally spacious and resplendent, with table runners and chair covers made of top-grade kesi silk, though all appeared moderately worn rather than brand-new. A maid came forward to serve tea, and before long, the crisp chiming of jade pendants signaled the emergence of a beauty from the inner chambers. She wore a purplish-gray sleeveless outer jacket embroidered with twin butterflies frolicking among flowers, paired with a bean-green patterned skirt, her hair adorned sparingly with just two or three kingfisher-feather and pearl hairpins. Upon seeing Nanny Xia, she smiled and offered greetings, saying, "You must be exhausted from your long journey." She then smilingly gestured for her to take a seat.

As it turned out, Lin Dongxiu's marriage to Yuan Shaoren was considered marrying upward into a wealthier and more prestigious family. Fearing that Lin Dongxiu might lack proper manners or behave inappropriately and thus become a laughingstock that strained relations between the Yuan and Lin families, Lady Qin had kept her by her side daily to instruct her. Yet, such strict supervision inevitably bred friction between them. Consequently, Lady Qin wrote to her maiden family, asking her parents, brothers, and sisters-in-law to find an experienced elderly matron who was well-versed in etiquette and upbringing. Lady Qin's family belonged to a prominent noble clan in the capital, and before long, they indeed managed to find such a person. After the late emperor's daughter, Princess Chongning, was married off, she passed away at a tender age, whereupon the court granted favor to discharge all of her capable personal maidservants. This Nanny Xia was one of them. Though young, she had served as a palace lady-in-waiting, having spent her early years closely attending to Princess Chongning before being married off to one of the princess's imperial guards. Because her husband had distant kinship ties with the Qin family, the Qin household had sent someone to invite her. Her husband had initially been reluctant to let her go, but Nanny Xia argued, "The princess has passed away, and we have no reliable backing for the future. You are merely a low-ranking petty official at the Nine Gates guard posts; food and clothing are not an issue, but all of our previous glory is completely gone. Lin Jinglou is exceedingly capable and holds immense sway in the military—if he so much as coughs, the entire Jiangnan region trembles. Now that we have this opportunity to attach ourselves to his household, only a fool would pass it up. Furthermore, he has a father who serves as a high-ranking frontier governor. Even if not for the two of us, we must plan for our children's future. By forging this favorable connection, our son will have better prospects whether he studies or pursues martial arts, and our daughter will have more advantageous marriage options. Isn't that an extra path for the future? Besides, the monetary reward offered by the Lin family is extremely generous—it's worth two whole years of your official salary." Upon hearing this, her husband immediately changed his tune and instead began urging her to go with utmost eagerness.

Nanny Xia had long heard rumors that Lin Jinglou favored a beloved concubine of peerless beauty in his household, whom he treated quite differently from all others. The moment Xianglan stepped forward, Nanny Xia understood the situation and greeted her with a smile. Xianglan said, "Mistress repeatedly urged us in her letters, saying that Nanny Xia is an honored guest and must be treated with the utmost care. It will be a few days yet before Mistress and the young lady arrive in the capital, but the quarters prepared for you have already been fully readied. Please feel free to settle in comfortably, and just let us know if you need anything at all."

Nanny Xia replied, "I am deeply grateful for Madam's high regard, and I appreciate Mistress Xianglan taking the trouble." With that, she took the young maid and departed. Shuran personally guided them to the Shuangxi Pavilion, smiling as she told Nanny Xia, "This place was originally prepared as the bridal chamber for the Third Young Master. Since the Third Young Master and his wife returned to Jinling, this bridal chamber has been set aside for the Fourth Young Lady's use to bring a touch of auspicious fortune. The masters' intention is for you to reside here as well, living alongside the Fourth Young Lady day and night so that you may better instruct her."

Nanny Xia nodded slightly. Shuran led her into the room on the left side, where all kinds of amenities were fully equipped, and a multi-paneled alcove bed was draped with lilac-colored double-embroidered grape curtains. After briefing her briefly on the household's situation and leaving behind two serving maids to attend to her, Shuran took her leave. Nanny Xia sat down on the edge of the bed as the young maid Fangfei unpacked the bundles, placed the spare clothes into the wardrobe, and arranged the washing utensils on the table, muttering, "This Lin family is truly amusing—letting a concubine manage the household affairs. When we came here, I actually thought we would be meeting the Lin family's Second Young Madam."

Nanny Xia cautioned, "This is other people's family business. You are not permitted to run your mouth."

Fangfei stuck out her tongue and fell silent. In truth, what Nanny Xia was thinking in her heart matched Fangfei's thoughts entirely. However, her journey here served three purposes: first, to tutor Lin Dongxiu; second, to forge ties with the Lin family; and third, to secure a hefty sum of silver. Therefore, she had resolved to play deaf and dumb toward all the major and minor affairs of the Lin residence, ignoring them completely. With the mistress and servant thus settled in, we will leave them for the moment.

Four or five days later, Lady Qin's carriage arrived. Amidst a bustling crowd of attendants welcoming her, she was escorted to the Rongshou Hall. Lady Qin sat gracefully in the seat of honor while Hongjian laid out the kneeling mats. Lin Jing楼 and Lin Jinxuan came forward first to pay their respects, followed by Tan Luhua, with Consort Dowager Yin and Xianglan trailing behind them. Lin Dongxiu likewise stepped forward to pay respects to her elder brothers and sister-in-law respectively.

Xianglan stood by the entrance, observing that the main hall was dead silent with everyone standing respectfully with hands lowered. Only Lady Qin sat in composed majesty—an innate dignity that ordinary wealthy matrons simply could not compare to.

Lady Qin first inquired after Lin Jinxuan's health, asking how he was feeling, what medications he had been taking recently, whether he slept soundly at night, and which physician had treated him. Lin Jinxuan answered with utmost reverence, prompting Lady Qin to smile and say, "What a good child, such a pity. I can see that your spirit is much better than before, which just goes to show the benefits of taking a wife. Don't stop those tonic prescriptions of yours; recently, a formula was passed down from the imperial palace, and I have been taking that medicine myself and finding it quite beneficial. Tomorrow I will have an imperial physician come over to examine you, and if your constitution can handle it, you can take a dose of it to try as well."

Lin Jinxuan hastily replied, "Thank you for troubling yourself, Mother. For thinking of your son in every single matter, your son is truly beyond grateful."

Lady Qin merely smiled without a word, turning her gaze instead toward Tan Luhua. Having already completed the grand kowtow earlier, Tan Luhua was standing off to the side. Lady Qin looked her up and down from head to toe, then smiled and said, "She is truly a well-proportioned and polished child. When you entered the household, the master and I were away, so you were inevitably treated with some grievance." She signaled to Lulan, who immediately handed a sandalwood box over to Tan Luhua. Lady Qin smiled, "This is just a small token of affection from us elders."

Tan Luhua hurriedly knelt once more to express her gratitude, while Lady Qin merely offered a faint smile. After a short while, the gathering dispersed. Lady Qin kept Lin Jinglou behind alone to speak with him in the room, instructing Xianglan to wait outside. A moment later, Xianglan was called inside. She found Lady Qin seated on the bed, holding a small pinkish-white porcelain cup. Lin Jinglou was lounging lazily against the bolster of the arhat bed with an unkempt posture; upon seeing Xianglan, he beckoned to her and said, "Go on, attend to Madam."

Xianglan walked over, and at Lady Qin's bidding, she sat down on the small footstool beside the bed. Lady Qin looked her over closely for a moment before saying, "I heard from Lou'er that you haven't spared any effort in handling all the big and small matters around the house, not just Ting'er's wedding banquet, but also when Nanny Xia stayed in the residence a few days ago."

Unable to gauge whether Lady Qin was pleased or angry, and feeling indifferent to the outcome anyway, Xianglan still found it prudent to stand up, lower her hands, and say, "It was entirely my overstepping. My actions were neither thorough nor proper."

Lin Jinglou remarked, "Madam is praising you, what are you afraid of?" He looked toward Lady Qin and asked, "Isn't that right?"

Nanny Wu, standing off to the side, chuckled upon hearing this and said, "Listen to that. Madam hasn't even said anything yet, and he's already stepping in to protect her."

Lin Jinglou smiled without a word.

Lady Qin glanced at Lin Jinglou, then turned to Xianglan and said, "You've worked hard these past few days, I'll reward you handsomely later. I also brought someone along with me, take a look and see who it is." As she spoke, she gestured toward the side. Chunling was standing there, bowing respectfully from afar and whispering softly, "Mistress."

Xianglan was taken aback. Back then, Chunling had relied on a shred of favor to put on airs and give her a hard time, never expecting that even a clay figurine possessed three parts of temper, and Xianglan, thoroughly angered, had left her behind in Jinling. Looking at Chunling now, Xianglan felt a complex mix of emotions. She was someone who valued old ties, and in her heart, she was genuinely grateful for the kindness Chunling had once shown her. Yet, this same person had leveraged that past kindness to lord it over her, coupled with a sharp tongue and a fiery temper that constantly stirred up trouble, leaving her endlessly distressed.

Lady Qin maintained a pleasant smile as she said, "I know this girl has been by your side for a long time and your bond is out of the ordinary, so on this trip, I simply brought her along with me." Waving her hand, she added, "Now that I've just arrived home and caused a fuss for half the day, I'm quite fatigued and need to rest. You all may leave."

Once everyone had dispersed, Lady Qin changed into casual indoor clothing and leaned back against the bed, instructing Hongjian to massage her legs with a beauty hammer. Half-closing her eyes, she asked Nanny Wu, "What do you make of the current state of affairs?"

Nanny Wu pondered for a moment before weighing her words carefully. "Judging by how things look, Eldest Young Master hasn't let go of her yet. Xianglan is extremely clever and cautious. When Madam praised her for taking care of household matters, she neither claimed credit nor feigned excessive modesty; her very first words were to acknowledge that she had overstepped her bounds. This shows she is a sharp person who understands propriety."

Lady Qin kept her eyes closed, looking as though she were about to fall asleep. After a long while, she let out an "Mn" and waved her hand to dismiss Nanny Wu. Seeing that Lady Qin's drowsiness was setting in, Hongjian set the beauty hammer aside, picked up a light blanket, and draped it over her with feather-light steps. Observing Lady Qin toss and turn as she shifted positions, she seemed to speak almost to herself: "Understanding propriety is good. Only if the household accommodates her in the future will she have a foothold to stand upon..." For a while, all remained quiet.

By the afternoon, Lady Qin had met with Nanny Xia, entrusted Lin Dongxiu to her care, and dispatched people to deliver the courtesy gifts brought from Jinling. It was hardly surprising that Xianglan received gifts and rewards from Lady Qin; what was astonishing was that Lin Dongxiu had also prepared a gift for her. Far from being some perfunctory gesture like two cans of new tea or a box of hair ornaments, it was an embroidered folding screen featuring magnolias and butterflies—an exquisitely detailed piece of work. Looking at the screen, Xianglan mused to herself that either Lin Dongxiu intended to befriend her out of gratitude for saving her life earlier, or she was attempting to use her to curry favor with Lin Jinglou. After turning it over in her mind, she decided against viewing everyone through such a cynical, mercenary lens, choosing instead to interpret it as a genuine expression of gratitude from Lin Dongxiu, and reciprocated with a brand-new gold-threaded woven belt.

Over on her side, Tan Luhua had also received items from Lady Qin. Earlier in the Xuxi Hall, Lady Qin had rewarded her with a sandalwood box, which, upon opening back in her rooms, revealed a pair of solid gold longevity-and-fortune hairpins inlaid with jadeite. Shortly afterward, Lulan delivered a bolt of high-grade fabric, two boxes of fine medicine, and a pouch of small silver ingots. Overjoyed, Tan Luhua weighed the silver ingots one by one before wrapping them back up, remarking aloud, "Only someone who handles things with such generosity and grand style looks like a proper, legitimate mistress. Unlike certain people who make one sick to the stomach, relying on half-baked titular authority to throw their weight around in front of a real mistress, brazenly acting the part of a mother-in-law without any fear of the wind biting their tongue off." Lulan, who was pouring tea nearby, furrowed her brow at these words and quietly gave Tan Luhua a tug, using her eyes to signal toward the outer alcove, where Xiluo was sitting doing needlework. Tan Luhua arched her brows slightly and declared, "I said it precisely for her to hear! I'm not afraid she wouldn't hear it!" With a cold snort, she gathered up the silver and locked it away in her cabinet.

True to form, Xiluo promptly reported these words back to Consort Dowager Yin. Consort Dowager Yin was so infuriated that she flew into a rage, lying down on her bed and refusing even to eat dinner that evening, but we will leave that aside for now.